Blue Peter bids farewell to London’s Television Centre after 50 years

Blue Peter has hosted its final show at London’s Television Centre as the longest-running children’s programme prepares to move to Manchester.

Blue Peter is getting ready for it’s move to Salford, Manchester

The BBC One show â which is currently presented by Helen Skelton , Andy Akinwolere andÂ Barney Harwood â will make the move north to Salford, Greater Manchester, as part of the relocation of BBC programmes including BBC Sport, TV’s Breakfast and Radio 5 live.

The iconic Blue Peter garden will be situated on a studio roof at the BBC’s new site, despite previous claims the outdoor area was set to be axed in favour of an virtual version.

During the showâs farewell to the west London studios, 462 people took part in a world record two-minute hula hoop routine.

âWe were determined to mark the end of an era with a special programme,â said editor Tim Levell.

Former host of the show – which began in 1958, two years before Television Centre opened in west London – Peter Purves previously said: ‘The garden is an opportunity for a really informative and useful and entertaining segment of the programme once every three weeks or so.

‘It lets children understand about the seasons and what happens in them.’Surveys show many youngsters today are not aware of the countryside, that food is grown and cultivated.’